Spin contribution to the inverse Faraday effect of nonmagnetic metals

Abstract

We formulate the spin contribution to the inverse Faraday effect of nonmagnetic metals. We deal with the role of the inversion symmetry, which forces all electronic bands to be at least twice degenerate at every point in the Brillouin zone. We show both analytically and numerically that our formulation of the inverse Faraday effect is invariant under unitary rotation within the doubly degenerate set of bands. In addition, we show the importance of resonance-like features in the band structure for the inverse Faraday effect. Our first-principles computed spin component of the inverse Faraday effect in a simple metal such as Au is reminiscent of its optical absorption, with a characteristic $d--s$ resonance in the optical spectrum.